For Oral Language today we looked at the 2007 Awards of the Best Pictures On The Internet. We loved all the pictures but our favourite was the “Special Mention” winner.
We sorted ourselves into 3 groups and then we tried to create our own face using our hands. It was lots of fun. We then took pictures of our creation and we had a class vote to decide our favourite.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
What is your favourite group picture?????
On Thursday 20th of March 2008 Room 21 and Room 19 went to the Reserve to listen to a spokesperson from The Keep Manakau Beautiful Trust.
They talked about how taggers effect our community and that we are the ones who have to pay the money to clean it up. If you get caught tagging you get a black mark after your name on your permanent record so when you are older you will find it difficult to get a good job.
We learned that Graffiti first appeared in the Collesium which is in Rome in Italy. A long time ago they used to write graffiti as they had no way to express their feelings so they used to write messages on the walls. The messages were for other people to read and were also for the politicians because there was no other way for people to communicate with each other.
After we listened to the speaker a small group of students were chosen to go and paint over some graffiti in our neighbourhood.
We went to a small walkway which was filled with graffiti. It was a long walk. We found a buddy and then one of the helpers gave us paint and paintbrushes. We went down the pathway and the Police Officer called Constable White showed us the fence we had to paint.
We started painting. Spikes, our class mascot was also helping us.
It was a hot day but we didn’t mind. We had to fill up our buckets with paint two times. The paint was thick and brown. I got a sore arm painting the fence because my arm was moving up and down lots.
We finished painting it just in time to go back to school for lunch. On our way back, I wasted all the water from my drink bottle to wash my hands. It was a really long way back. It was really fun. I never thought working would be so much fun.
If I could go and help the community again, I would. I learnt a lot about how tagging effects our community and how millions of our dollars are spent on tagging. I think that our money would be better spent on our schools and hospitals and making people’s lives better.
I am so glad I learned more about not tagging on other peoples property and how it affects people’s lives.
By MH
In Reading we are learning about Extraordinary New Zealanders that have made a difference.This week we have been reading about the living legend Jonah Lomu.
Background Information
Jonah Lomu was born on the 12th May 1975. He was born in South Auckland, New Zealand. He is 32 years old. His parents are Tongan. When Jonah Lomu was 9 years old he had to run behind his parents car every Sunday to go to church because he was too tall to fit into the car!
Jonah’s Dream
Jonah Lomu’s dream was to wear the black jersey of the New Zealand, All Blacks. The All Blacks are the best rugby team in the world. Jonah Lomu became the youngest ever All Black in history.
He was only 19 years and 45 days old when he had his first match.
Match History
Jonah Lomu’s first Provincial side was Counties Manukau. He played 28 games for them between 1994 and 1999. He played his first World Cup against France and then he was selected in 1995 to play in his second World Cup. In 1996 he played against the Barbarians in England.
Jonah Lomu was once described as being like a Boeing 747 because he was big, fast and made the ground shake like an earthquake. When he played he was also described as brushing off the other players as if they were flies meaning that they weren’t strong and they didn’t really challenge Jonah Lomu.
Life changing illness
After Jonah played against the Barbarians in England he had to stay in bed for 3 days because he couldn’t move. He was told he had a serious liver disease and that he would not be able to play rugby again and he would spend most of his life in a wheelchair chained to a machine that was going to clean his blood.
Nothing is Impossible
Jonah Lomu never gave up. After 9 months Jonah Lomu was back on the rugby field ready to play. He found the power within himself to get better and get back up there to achieve his dreams of being a rugby player.
Jonah Lomu is an extraordinary because he made a difference with the All Blacks by helping them to become the best team in the World.
We admire him because he is one of the best players in the history of the All Blacks and because he believed in himself and never gave up his dreams.
Facts about Jonah Lomu
Full Name : Jonah Tali Lomu
Height : 1 metre 96 centimetres
Weight : 116 kilograms
Speed : Can run 100 meters in 10.8 seconds
Size : Wears size 13 boots
College : Studied at Wesley College, Pukekohe
Eye Colour : Dark Brown
Favourite Colours : Yellow & Blue
Chest : 116 centimetres
Hips : 125 centimetres
Research and writing by
The White & Yellow Reading Group
WRITING TOOLS
In Room 21 we have been thinking about ways that we can improve our writing. We have been learning about synonyms as we think that they could be a tool that we could put in our writing toolbox that would helpour writing.
WHAT IS A SYNONYM?
A synonym is a word that has a similar meaning to another.
WHY ARE SYNONYMS A USEFUL WRITING TOOL?
* Synonyms can be used instead of common words (high frequency words.)
* Common words lack power in our writing. They can make our writing boring.
* By choosing more unusual words a text can become interesting.
This voicethread is about synonyms that Room 21 found for 3 common words.
We would like to hear your synonyms too, to add to our voicethread.
Our extraordinary mascots are called Simba and Spikes.
Simba is a huge lazy tiger that sleeps on our class mat when were all working hard to achieve our Personal Best. Old Simba is the laziest tiger in the world!!!
Spikes is more adventurous and goes with our class on school trips and watches over us and the class.He is very small and very cute.
Keep an eye out for Spikes adventures and make sure you give them a pet and stroke or maybe even a tin of tuna if you are ever lucky enough to meet them!!! ☺
By JD
Sir Edmund Hillary, also known as “The Man Behind The Mountain” was born on 20th of July 1919. H e started off life as an ordinary beekeeper but his life was about to change as he achieved the impossible.
Sir Edmund Hillary joined the Everest Reconnaissance in 1951 and again in 1952. He started his expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. On the way up, he met a man called Tenzing Norgay who was going to help him make an assault to the top.
The climb to the summit was full of harsh blizzards and slopes that seemed unclimbable but Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay didn’t give up. Most volunteers who also joined up either gave up or passed away. The Journey took several weeks.
Finally on the 29th of May 1953 at half past eleven. There were no more slopes and nowhere else to climb. They made it!! They were the first people on top of the so-called “unclimbable” mountain.
Over the next 50 years, Sir Ed was to have many more adventures. He jet-boated up the mouth of the fierce Ganges River, a river that is 1,560 miles long stretching from the mouth of the Himalayan Mountains and also led an expedition of tractors to the South Pole. He also became New Zealand’s High Commissioner in India.
Sir Edmund Hillary also helped the Sherpas in Nepal to build twenty-seven schools, two hospitals, twelve clinics, several bridges and an airstrip.
I think that Sir Edmund Hillary used all of the Habits of Minds. He used Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations because he used his past experience from climbing previous mountains to climb Mount Everest and to complete other challenging expeditions. I also think he responded with Wonderment and Awe because he always wanted to learn more about his world and he achieved what he dreamt of doing.
Despite everything he has done. Sir Edmund Hillary will mostly be remembered for that day when he and Tenzing Norgay stood on the summit of Mount Everest.
He was an extraordinary New Zealander and shall never be forgotten.
By MHH
Dear Diary,
Today I have been thinking of ways that I can change myself for the better………
1. By using different strategies to help me behave and learn.
2. By not getting influenced by others to do nasty things.
3. By playing with responsible people.
4. By managing my impulsivity.
5. By walking away from people that aren’t doing the right thing.
6. By not trying to fight with others.
7. By telling a teacher if someone is being annoying.
8. By not arguing with others.
9. By using the Habits of Mind.
10. By using the School Values.
By your new trying to improve,
LT ☺
Wednesday the 5th of March was just an ordinary day. Nothing big. Nothing different. Just another day.
As usual we went to Mrs Tetupu’s Room for Music with Room 25. When we came back to our class that ordinary day disappeared.
The room was a TOTAL disaster!!! It looked like a tornado had hit the place. The tables were upside down. The chairs were upside down. The sofa in the library corner was upside down. The school values words chart that said School Values was upside down. The paper that said Miss Adamson’s Expectations of Room 21 was upside down. EVERYTHING we saw was upside down!!!!
I was totally surprised and stood there with my mouth wide open. I couldn’t believe my eyes because our classroom is usually so tidy. We had no idea what had happened to our classroom. We all went home wondering about what had happened to our classroom.
The next day we found out that while we were in Mrs Tetupu’s class joyfully singing, Mr D and Room 19 had been plotting a plan to turn our class upside down. I know it was Mr D because Miss Adamson, Mrs Tetupu and Miss Tizard had moved his table, hid his chair and did a few other things to his classroom at lunchtime as a joke. Mr D had decided to play a joke back on them!
Mr D must have found out somehow or from someone what had happened. I think Room 19 quietly snuck in through the back door of our classroom and quietly turned our room upside down and then quietly left.
They must have been as quiet as mice because Mr Borcher’s office is right next door to our classroom.
What was even worse was that on Wacky Wednesday the girls got to go home while the boys had to stay and clean the room up. I was really surprised and a bit mad too as we hadn’t made the mess.
It was funny seeing our classroom upside down though. Our classroom is normally very tidy. Very weird seeing everything so messy. I want to have revenge. I want to turn all THEIR tables upside down, turn THEIR baskets upside down and make THEIR room worse than what they made our room. That would be really funny.
Hopefully one day we will get our revenge on Mr D and Room 19. ☺
BY MH
Kiaora and Welcome to our Blog . Here you will find some wonderful work from our Star Workers that we would like to share with you. It would be awesome if you could read our work and share your thoughts and feedback.
We look forward to reading your comments!
Miss Adamson 
On the 29th May 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world. They were the first people to climb the highest mountain.
On the Top of the World
Sir Edmund Hillary used to be a beekeeper. He then climbed Mount Everest and became an extraordinary person. He liked adventures. He jet boated up the Ganges River and led expeditions to the South Pole.
The Ganges River is a sacred river known as Ganga Ma – Mother Ganges. The Ganges River is 1,560 miles long and it is in Northern India. It starts from the Himalayan mountains and ends up in the Indian Ocean.
Map of the River Ganges
Sherpas are a group of people who live in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. The word sherpa is also used to describe the local men who are experts in carrying heavy packs and guiding people who want to climb the mountains.
Sir Edmund Hillary set up The Himalayan Trust which built schools and hospitals for the sherpas. He built 27 schools and 2 hospitals. He also built an airstrip which was important as it meant that the planes could carry equipment and food to the sherpas. Before it took the sherpas 17 days to carry the equipment from Kathmandu to their village. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal.
Sir Edmund Hillary was an extraordinary New Zealander because he never gave up when his wife and daughter was killed in a plane crash. He helped the Sherpas and changed their lives. Sir Edmund Hillary was a helpful and caring man who loved his family, his friends and the rest of the world.
By The White Group
Photos from Sir Edmund Hillary Photo Gallery – Academy of Achievement
